My Shinobi Path
by Bright Inferno
Summary: During the chunin exams, Naruto meets the Sage of Six Paths, who in terms gives him a special gift. Stronger Naruto, NarutoxHarem
1. Chapter 1

**Edit:**

 **AN: Hello dear readers. Now, the main reason I put this here is because I would like to know, who do you want to be put in the harem? Now Hinata is going to be in it for sure, but people like Sakura or Ino, I'm kind of on the off side about. Simply because neither have really done ANYTHING to prove that they are worthy for Naruto to accept affection from. I know that some of you may not like that, but that is simply how I feel at the moment. If you want, try to convince me otherwise. Anyway, I've rambled on long enough. Time to get to the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"Talking"

' _Thoughts_ '

 **Jutsu**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

After actually managing to pass the written part of the exam, team 7 moved on to the second part of the exam. While inside of the Forest of Death, the team was attacked by Orochimaru. Using the Kyuubi's chakra, Naruto fought back against Orochimaru as Sasuke was too frozen with fear to fight back.

Once Naruto stopped Orochimaru's snake summon, Orochimaru uses his elongated tongue to restrain Naruto. "Hey! Disgusting! Let me go!" Naruto shouted as he struggled against Orochimaru's hold on him.

Using his tongue, Orochimaru lifted up Naruto's shirt, revealing his seal. "I see. When your anger is risened, the Kyuubi's chakra is released." Orochimaru say as his fingertips glow a purple fire. " **Gogyō Fūin!** (Five Pronged Seal)" Orochimaru suddenly thrusted his fingers into Naruto's stomach.

Naruto screamed in pain as the seal was placed over his. His eyes slowly went from being red and slitted, to his normal cerulean blue. Naruto quickly went into unconsciousness before being tossed aside by Orochimaru, setting his eyes back to his prize. Sasuke Uchiha.

 **xXx**

 **Mindscape:**

Naruto woke up in what appears to be a dark and wet sewer. "Huh?" Slower gathering his bearings, Naruto got up and looked around. "Where… Where am I?" Naruto started walking down a long, seemingly endless corridor.

After a while of walking, Naruto noticed a strange door. _'What's this?'_ He wonders as he stares at the door. Naruto walks inside, finding himself in a dark void. He walks into seemingly nothing before spotting something. Getting closer, it appeared to be a person, a man in fact. _'Is he… Floating?'_

"Ah. You're finally here. I was wondering when we would meet." The man says before turning around to face Naruto.

He had pale white skin, with pale red hair and a long goatee. The man wore a white robe with six black tomoe around the neck part that confused Naruto the most was his eyes. They were unlike anything he's ever seen. The were purple, with black rings around his pupil. _'What the… What is up with his eyes?'_ Naruto wonders.

The man chuckles. "Now, we will get to that soon." He says. Naruto was surprised. Had this man just read his mind? "So, how about we get to introductions?" The man asks.

"O-Oh!" Naruto said, finally finding his voice. "I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto replies to him.

The man smiles. "My name is Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. Otherwise known as Rikudō Sennin.(Sage of Six Paths)" The man now known as Hagoromo says before motion Naruto to come closer.

Naruto slowly walks over to Hagoromo. "Um… Do you know why I'm here?" Naruto asks. "Oh that's simple. I brought you here." Hagoromo replies.

"But... How? Why?"

"Well, you see Naruto, there's something I must give you. A gift. Because of our limited amount of time, we must do this quickly." Hagoromo says before placing his hand onto Naruto's head.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asks him confusedly.

"This may hurt a bit, but it will well be worth it."

"What are you-" Naruto said before feeling something strange in his eyes. They started hurting, making Naruto feel like someone took a kunai and shoved it in both of his eyes and twisted them. The pain was unbearable. He let out a scream of excruciating pain as this continued, eventually passing out due to the pain. Before completely blacking out, Naruto heard the words of Hagoromo.

"You may not understand what I have given you Naruto. You may also not understand the responsibility that comes with it. But, I know that you will do great things. You Naruto Uzumaki… Are a truly special child… A child of prophecy if you will…"

After that, everything went dark.

 **xXx**

 **Outside:**

Naruto grumbled as he awoke. "Huh?" He sat up. "What the… Where am…" Naruto thought out loud as he looked around. _'Was… Was that a dream?'_ That was something he couldn't figure out the answer to. If it was a dream, then why had it felt so real?

Naruto's thoughts were quickly pushed aside as he felt something. It felt dark… and cold… What was it? It actually reminded him of...

 _'Oh no! Sasuke! Sakura!'_ He quickly got up and raced outside. _'I hope I'm not too late!'_

Getting outside, he saw a strange event taking place. He saw the sound team and his teammates. Of the sound team, Zaku and Kin were unconscious, while Dosu was looking at Sasuke with fear in his eyes. "Sasuke?" His eyes widened as he saw his friend. He was most of his body was covered in this flame like pattern. Sakura, hearing Naruto, turns her head to him. "Naruto." She said in slight relief.

"Sakura-Chan, what happened? What's up with Sasuke?" Naruto asks her, confused by sudden change in events. Before she could answer, the last standing sound nin offers their earth scroll in exchange of letting them go. He places it on the ground before going to grab his fallen teammates. _'Wow… Did Sasuke take them down or something?'_ Naruto wondered.

Dosu picked up Zaku and was about to grab Kin, until shuriken shot his way making him dodge to the side. "What the?" Naruto said as he saw Sasuke throw the shuriken. "Sasuke, what are you doing?" Sasuke doesn't reply as he flashes through a few handsigns.

" **Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!** (Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu)" Sasuke shouted as he shot multiple small fireballs towards Dosu, who just barely manages to dodge the projectiles.

"Sasuke stop! He's already given us the scroll!" Naruto shouted to Sasuke. He ignores him once more before going through a few more handsigns. " **Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!** (Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu)" Sasuke launches a massive fireball towards Dosu. He narrowly managed to escaped, but ended up burning his foot slightly. Dosu looks towards Kin before running off, feeling that she's as good as dead.

Sasuke prepared to fire another fireball. "Sasuke stop!" Sasuke stops mid handsign and turns towards Naruto, looking at him with his Sharingan still active. "Enough of this. We already have the scroll. There's no need to fight anymore. They're gone now." Naruto said, trying to get Sasuke to stop.

"Not all of them." Sasuke says as he looks towards the unconscious Kin. "Huh?" Naruto looks and sees her. "Sasuke. No."

"Be quiet dobe. Like you understand." Sasuke says as he slowly starts approaching Kin with a kunai in hand. Naruto races right in front of him before he could reach Kin. "Sasuke. I will not stand here and let you do this."

"Move." Sasuke commanded. "Make me." Naruto stood his ground. "Very well the… Dobe!" Sasuke suddenly kicked Naruto in the side into a tree. "Naruto!" Sakura shouted in concern. "Dobe. Do you really think you can take on me? I'm an Uchiha. An elite. And now, with this power, I'm even stronger. I'm Invincible!" Sasuke shouted.

Team 10 and team Gai watch in horror as Sasuke attacked his own teammate. None of them knew what to do. All, except for Neji, felt that they couldn't do anything. Neji wanted to observe them. By far, out of the Rookie 9, Sasuke seemed the most threatening. He needed to learn more in case he had to fight him.

Kin groan in pain as she finally managed to start waking up. She couldn't move her body because of Zaku's earlier attack. She looks up and sees the Uchiha they were sent after, with a kunai in hand. Seeing the kunai, she looks to find her teammates, only to find them gone. They had… Abandoned her.

Naruto grunted in pain as he looks up at Sasuke, who had his kunai raised up. He had to do something, or else that girl was gonna die! But what could he do? He wasn't as strong as Sasuke. He wasn't as smart. He wasn't… He wasn't…

Sakura tried to stop Sasuke from doing this. But she was too far away when he started bringing down his Kunai. "No!" She shouted as he brought it down onto Kin who had tears in her eyes. Kin closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come. But… It never came. She opens her eyes and saw Naruto in front of her.

Everyone gasped as they see Sasuke's kunai suddenly hit against an invisible force. They were even more surprised with Naruto's speed. He had managed to get there in what seemed like a split second.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he looks at Naruto, whose eyes are closed. "Dobe. Get out of the way before I make you. I'll kill you if I have to." He growled at Naruto in deep anger.

Naruto is silent as he slowly opens his eyes. Everyone's eyes widen in surprise. _'What the… What happened to his eyes?'_ Sakura wonders as she sees Naruto's eyes. His eyes were purple, with black rings surrounding his pupil. Naruto's eyes pore into Sasuke's as he says. " **Shinra Tensei.** " Naruto says quietly before an invisible force suddenly smashes against Sasuke, pushing him far away into a tree.

Sasuke slumped over as loses consciousness, his strange marks retreating back into his neck. Everyone froze at what happened. _'What just happened?'_ They all thought before Naruto turns around kneels down to Kin. "Are you alright?" Naruto asks as he looks into her eyes, his being the cerulean blue like before.

A soft pink tints her cheeks as she looks into his eyes. "Y… Yes." She was dumbfounded by how her enemy had just saved her life. "Good. Can you move?" Naruto asks her, in which she shakes her head. He nods before picking her up Bridal style. "H-Huh?" A blush covers her face as she gets picked up.

"If you can't walk, then I'll just have to carry you the rest of the way there." Naruto smiled to her. _'Why… Why is he doing so much for me?'_ Kin wonders. Naruto suddenly puts his fingers in the all too familiar handsign.

" **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!** "Naruto creates two clones to go pick up Sasuke and Lee. "C'mon Sakura. We should get going soon." Naruto says, snapping Sakura out of her shock. She nods as she walks over to him grabbing the earth scroll. All but the clone holding Lee leave the scene.

The clone looks over and jumps towards Neji and Tenten. "I believe this belongs to you guys." Naruto jokes. Neji nods and takes Lee. "Thank you." Tenten said. "No problem. I should get going soon-" "Uzumaki." Neji interrupts. "Hm?"

"Don't think that just because you gave us Lee means that we're comrades. We won't do anything now. But the next time we meet… We will be enemies." Neji states.

"Neji…" Tenten sighed at her teammates behavior. Naruto was a little surprised by Neji's words, but quickly grinned at him. "Wouldn't have it any other way." He said before dispelling itself into a cloud of smoke.

 **xXx**

 **Elsewhere:**

Hopping from tree to tree, Naruto suddenly feels the memories of the clone. "Huh?" Kin looks up at him. "What's the matter?" Kin asks. "Oh… Nothing." Naruto says. 'Where did that come from? Wait… Does this mean that…' Naruto wonders before realizing the secret behind his clones.

 _'Something tells me thing are going to very interesting soon.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"Talking"

 _'Thoughts'_

 **"Jutsu"**

 **Chapter 2**

After the scuffle with the sound team, Team 7, with the addition of Kin, made their through the forest. Jumping from branch to branch to get to the tower. Kin had long since fallen asleep, snuggling into Naruto's chest as she was tired from the fight prior. Naruto smiles as he looks down and sees her peaceful sleeping face.

 _'You know… She looks pretty cute like that…'_ Naruto thought as they jumped. Finding a clearing up ahead, Naruto jumps off the branch onto the ground, prompting his clone and Sakura to do the same. "We'll take a break here. We'll need all the energy we can get if we wanna get a heaven scroll."

Sakura nods as she looks at Naruto. _'What happened to him… He feels… different from before… And what was with his eyes…'_ These questions have plagued Sakura's mind the entire trip there. She just couldn't figure it out. But she knew she wasn't in any place to deny his break suggestion. After that fight with the sound, she was beyond tired. Speaking of the sound team…

"Hey… Naruto?" Sakura speaks, for the first time since they left. "Hm? What is it?" Naruto asks as his clone goes and lays down Sasuke's still unconscious body down.

"Well… Why did we bring… Her?" Sakura asks with slight venom in her voice when she said "Her." She was still pretty pissed at her for what she did.

"Well… She was abandoned by her team… If we had just left her, someone else could have shown up… And…" Naruto didn't like the thought of someone coming along and having their way with Kin.

"Oh… I… I didn't think of it like that…" Sakura didn't know what to say. Sure she didn't like the girl, but not even her would want something like that to happen to someone. Even if it was someone she hated.

"Don't worry about it. The important thing is that she's here with us, and not there where she would be helpless." Naruto said as he gently sat her against a tree. He puts his fingers together and summons up five clones. "One of you go find some food. Another goes and gets water. The last three go and keep watch. We don't want anyone sneaking up on us." The clones nodded before rushing off to do their separate jobs.

Sakura was amazed by Naruto's leadership. Using the clones like this seemed too smart for the old Naruto to do. Once they both got seated, Sakura knew she had to ask him about his sudden changes. "Naruto?"

"Yeah? What's up?" Naruto asks in his normal manner. It was strange. He seemed like the Naruto she knew, but also wasn't. "What… What happened to you?" "What do you mean?" He asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Well… I'm not sure… You just seem… Different is all… You sound more serious… And are using your clones smartly instead of just in fights… None of this is like how you were before you were knocked out by Orochimaru… And not to mention those weird purple eyes you had when you knocked out Sasuke with that strange power..."

Naruto was surprised by the question. Had he really changed that much? He never noticed until now. Though, now that he had thought about it, he has been thinking things through more since he had taken down Sasuke. Though… _'How did I knock out Sasuke again?'_ Naruto wondered. He remembered yelling at Sasuke to not kill Kin, then Sasuke kicked him into a tree, and then… It's kind of a blank. He knew he had done something, as everyone was staring dead at him. It all didn't make sen… "Wait… Did you say purple eyes?"

"Yeah… It was strange… They were purple, and had these black rings surrounding them…"

Naruto was shocked by her answer. The way she described it… Sounded exactly like the eyes of that old man from Naruto's dream. _'D… Does this mean that…'_ Naruto suddenly remembers the old man's words.

 _"Well, you see Naruto, there's something I must give you. A gift."_

Was that what the old man was referring to by gift? But his eyes felt fine. They don't feel any different from before. Maybe… Is this eye… The way he stopped Sasuke? As Naruto thought this over, he knew he had to give Sakura an answer. "Well…" He didn't know what to say as he didn't know the answer either. Suddenly, one of Naruto clones comes back with some water. "Got the water." It said as it made its way over to the two.

 _'Oh thank Kami.'_ Naruto says in his thoughts as he takes the water. "Thanks. Seen anything strange?" The clone nods.

"Yeah. I'm fairly sure I saw a pair of eyes watching me before rushing off. Probably went to go tell his friends our location." Naruto nods before dispelling the clone, getting all its memories.

"Sakura-chan." She gets up and looks at him. "Yes?" "Get your stuff ready… I think I have an idea." Naruto says with a look of determination of his face.

 **xXx**

 **1 hour later:**

Team 7, along with Kin, were currently walking down a path, on their way towards the tower. After a while, decide to take a break lay down. They eventually fell asleep, with Naruto's earth scroll conveniently showing from his pouch.

Suddenly, three Ame nin came out of hiding. "See? What did I tell you?" Said one as they approached the sleeping genin. "Now we can just take the scroll and be on our way." He chuckled a bit before reaching down to grab the scroll. Before he can, his teammate grabs his hand. "Wait. Don't you think this was a little bit… easy for some Konoha genin?"

"You'd be right." They all heard before the four sleeping ninja unhenge, revealing four Naruto's. All four grab the nin, preventing them from moving, before a rain of Naruto's come out of the forest, going straight for the team.

"Oh shi-" Boom.

 **xXx**

 **Elsewhere:**

Sakura was currently sitting down against a tree. Next to her, was a still knocked out Sasuke who has been gripping onto this one part of his neck for a while now. To their side is a Naruto clone, who was currently holding a still sleeping Kin with his back to them.

Sakura had a lot on her mind. First was Sasuke's sudden power growth and personality shift, and now Naruto's sudden power growth and personality shift. What was happening with her teammates? Sakura knew Orochimaru had something to do with Sasuke's change, but Naruto was still an unknown to her. She had tried asking the clone earlier, but all he said was, "You should ask boss about that."

She starts wondering just how much about Naruto does she actually know. They have been teammates for months, and classmates even longer than that, though she really didn't know a lot about him aside from the obvious. At the beginning, she had always thought that Sasuke was the strongest of their team, with Naruto being the weak link of the team. But now… She's wondering if she had it all wrong. Naruto had not only single handedly knocked out a superpowered, bloodthirsty Sasuke, but he is also practically being the team leader at the moment. Had she… Had she had his true nature wrong this whole time?

Sakura hears a groan beside her and turns her head. Sasuke, still clutching his neck, slowly opens up his eyes. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura said, Happy to see the boy of her affection waking.

"What… What happened… Where are we?" Sasuke asks as he looks around his surroundings.

"We were attacked by Oto nins. Me, Lee, and Team 10 tried our best to stop them, but they were too much. Then suddenly, you woke up with these strange marks on you. You then dislocated both of the one of the Oto nins arms. You… You looked like you were not gonna stop until you killed them all." Sakura told Sasuke.

"Yeah… I think I'm starting to remember now…" Sasuke said as the memories start to come back to him. Just remembering his actions disgusted him. Feeling that what he did was similar to a certain Uchiha. "How did you guys stop me?"

"Well… None of us did… Naruto did…"

Sasuke's eye widens at what he hears. "... What?"

Sakura gets a little scared. "I-It was Naruto… He was the one to stop you… He used this strange power… One I haven't seen before… It pushed you into a tree… knocking you out…"

Sasuke couldn't believe it. Naruto, The carefree, deadlast, dope of Konoha, had not only stopped him, but knocked him out. Him, an Uchiha.

"Yep." Sasuke turns around and sees the Naruto clone holding a sleeping Kin. "Boss did a number on ya." Sasuke's eyes narrow at the sleeping Kin. He gets ready to attack her before clutching his neck hard. "Easy there teme. You're still injured from Orochimaru and boss. Besides, Kin-chan isn't gonna harm us." The clone said, getting a little protective to Kin.

"What are you talking about dobe? She's the enemy. She's with those Oto nin. If we keep her here who knows what will happen." Sasuke grunted at the clone.

"Nothing is going to happen." Said voice in front of them, revealing to be the real Naruto. "We are not abandoning Kin-chan. She is coming with us."

"Chan huh? You make friends with the enemy way too much than you should you know?" Sasuke said with a small but noticeable smirk.

"What can I say? I'm just that good." Naruto says with a smile.

"Well you're still the same dobe as before."

"Oh yeah? Is a dobe able to get…" Naruto reaches into his pouch and pulls out both an earth scroll and a heaven scroll. "These?" Naruto asks with a grin on his face.

Their eyes widen as they see the two scrolls. "You got a heaven scroll!" Sakura said, surprised that the blonde managed to grab one.

"That's right. Baited a few nin by making them think that we were sleeping. Once they were close, me and my clones ganged up on them. They stood no chance." Naruto explains as he takes Kin from his clone, dispelling it not long after.

"Hm? That's… That's actually smart…" Sasuke was surprised. He didn't expect this kind of intelligence from him. Sure, it wasn't groundbreaking smart, but it was still more smart than he thought the dobe was capable of. "Hmm… I guess you're more useful than I thought dobe." Sasuke smirks.

"Better believe it teme." Naruto grinned at Sasuke. It wasn't perfect, but the twos relationship seems to be getting stronger. Maybe they're starting to respect one another finally. "Hey teme, think you could walk?" Sasuke nods before managing to stand up. He still felt sore, but he could move. "Good. We're close to the tower. If we move now, we should be there between an hour to an hour and a half." Sakura and Sasuke nod before them and Naruto jump up into the trees and dash towards the tower.

 **xXx**

 **1 hour later:**

Kin yawned a bit as she slowly woke up. That had to have been the longest she have gotten to sleep since she was young. Being trained as a Oto nin, she was only given the absolute minimal amount of sleep, as sleep takes away time to train. She would always get up to an hour of sleep at a time, two if she was lucky. But for some reason, she had felt more tired than usual. She felt calmer, less tense, more… safe.

"Hope you had a good rest." Kin hears before looking up, seeing the bright smile of Naruto. She blushes slightly as she remembers how she's being carried by him. "Because we're almost to the tower." Kin looks over and sees the tower in the far distance. She sighs in relief that it will all be over soon. Though, she wasn't sure if he team made it or not.

"Hey… Kin was it?" Kin looks over to find Sakura facing her. "Huh?" "Look. I just want to know one thing… Why… Why did you guys come after us… After Sasuke…"

Kin knew this question would come up eventually. After what her team and her did, it was inevitable. "We… We were sent by our master… Orochimaru… To go after Sasuke… We don't know why he did… But we knew it had to be for something important… He never does anything without a reason…"

 _'So it was Orochimaru who set all this up… I should tell Jiji when I see him. This could be important.'_ Naruto says in his thoughts.

It wasn't the best, but it was an answer. Sakura was satisfied for now, but was still worried about what exactly did Orochimaru want with Sasuke.

After a while of silence between the genin, they all finally made it to the tower. "Here we are guys. Let's get inside and get this part over and done with." Naruto says as his teammates nod their heads in agreement. They walk inside and come in front of a message. "What is this?" Naruto wonders.

"If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. If you do not possess Earth, run through the field and seek strength. If you open both Heaven and Earth scrolls, dangerous paths turn into safe ones. This is the secret of ' '. It shall lead you on your way."

Sakura looks up at it. "Hm. Guy's… I think we need to open the scrolls…" Naruto nods before Sakura and Sasuke grab the earth and heaven scroll from Naruto's pouch. They both get a little nervous about opening the scrolls. Who knows what's inside.

They both suddenly open them to get it over with. They look inside and see what appears to be a seal of some kind. Not long after this, the scrolls start smoking up. Sasuke sees this and realizes what it was. "Wait. This is-"

"Sasuke! Sakura! Put them down! Quick!" Shouts Naruto before the two throw the scrolls onto the floor. They all back away and wait to see what will happen. Suddenly, a giant puff of smoke comes out, before slowly revealing a man.

"Wait a minute… It's you…" Sasuke says as the smoke clears up, revealing none other than their old sensei. Iruka Umino.

"Long time no see. Sasuke. Sakura. Naruto. And…" He stops as he notices Kin in Naruto's arms. "Naruto... Who is that?"

"Oh. This is Kin-chan. We ran into her and her team when we were inside the forest." Naruto says, smiling at Kin, who blushes slightly from it.

Iruka chuckles a bit at Naruto. "Even when you're enemies, you still find a way to help them." Naruto chuckles lightly with him.

"So Iruka-sensei, What are you doing here anyway? Why were you summoned?" Naruto asks, the others nodding at the question.

"Well you see, we chunin are sent to welcome the test takers back at the end of the second exam. Quite the coincidence that I am the one to be the messenger for you guys." Iruka smiles as he walks closer towards the four. "Messenger?" Sakura looks confused. "That's right. I am here to say... Congratulations. You passed the second exam."

The genins eyes widen at the news. While Sakura and Sasuke sit down and let out a sigh of relief as they felt a weight off their shoulders, Naruto jumps from excitement, while still holding Kin. "Yeah! We did it!" Naruto shouts. _'Where does he keep all that energy?'_ Sasuke and Sakura wonder at the same time. Naruto suddenly stops as he wonders something. "Hey sensei, what would you have done if we opened them earlier?"

"Hm. That's pretty observative of you Naruto. You see, if you were to open the scrolls before you reached the tower..." Iruka smirks slightly. "We were ordered to knock out whoever opened it. They would be knocked out until the exam was over. Some found that out the hard way."

Everyone looked surprised by the news, happy that none of them had gone to try opening the scrolls. Sakura still looked confused over something. "Sensei?" Iruka turns and looks at her. "What is that message on the wall all about?" Sakura asks, pointing at said wall. The others nod as they weren't sure either.

"Well, they're instructions that the Sandaime Hokage made that each chunin should follow. Heaven stands for your mind, and Earth stands for your body. If you do not possess Heaven, gain knowledge and be prepared. See?"

They all looked confused, until suddenly Naruto looks up. "Wait... I think I get it." They all looked at Naruto surprised. "If Heaven stands for your mind, then it's saying that if you lack wisdom, you must go out of your way to make sure that you can gain all the knowledge and information you can." Everyone stared at him in shock. "Then if we apply that logic to Earth and body, then if you lack strength or stamina, train hard so that you're strong enough for when you take more serious missions. When you have both of these qualities, then a dangerous mission becomes a safe one. Because you are not only smart enough, but also strong enough to lead a team. That, is what makes up a chunin."

"Naruto... How did..." Iruka's face of shock soon turns into a gentle smile. "Looks like Kakashi was right." They look at Iruka confused. "You all are not the same students I have taught before. You guys are definitely ready to take on the chunin you Naruto. You've all come a long way. And I can say, that I am more than happy to call you my students." All three genin smile at their old teacher. "Now since you guys got here a day before the end of the test, You guys get to rest for the night. Get as much sleep as you can. Because tomorrow just might be hell for you guys." They all gulp a little at hearing that. "Well, that was all I was instructed to tell you. Good luck in the exams you guys. I'm rooting for ya." Naruto gives him a thumbs up before Iruka Shunshin'ed out of the room.

"Alright you guys. We're finally here. Lets go and rest up. For tomorrow... We take on the third exam!" Naruto says, his teammates standing up and nodding in agreement. They all make their way further inside the tower, to rest up, and prepare for the next day.

* * *

 **AN: Hey. Thanks for for reading the second chapter. Now don't worry. Things like the** **Rikudō Sennin appearing to Naruto, or Naruto's sudden up in intelligence, will be explained in the next chapter. And since I have your attention, I still need help on who you think should be in the harem. I've already decided that Kin, Hinata, Tayuya, and Fu. Also, I would like to ask you all which of the Rinnegan's abilities should Naruto learn first? The Deva path and the Asura path are off limits for now, as I feel that they would be too difficult for Naruto to learn at the moment. Well, time to get started on the next chapter. Later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"Talking"

 _'Thoughts'_

 **"Jutsu"**

 **Chapter 3**

After their run in with Iruka, the four make their way further into the tower. Inside were a pair of chunin, who then lead the genin to their sleeping quarters. They then found themselves inside an apartment like area. They looked around and found 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. Inside each bedroom, was a twin bed.

"Well you guys, seems like we can rest easy while we're here." Naruto said as walked around the small little apartment.

"Wait a minute... Where is she gonna sleep?" Sakura asks, pointing towards Kin, who is still being held by Naruto. His eyes widen as he hadn't thought of that. "Well uh..." Naruto wasn't sure what to do. Kin couldn't stay with him or Sasuke, and Sakura still seems upset with Kin for what she did. "She can have my bed." Naruto sighed.

Kin look at Naruto with sadness in her eyes. "No Naruto. You've already done enough for me. You sleep in your bed. The ground doesn't bother me. I've had to sleep on worse back in sound. I can deal with it."

"Then that makes two of us." Naruto mutters sadly. "Huh?" Kin wonders what exactly he's talking about. "O-oh! Nothing. Anyway, you sound like you deserve to sleep in a bed more than I do. You take it." "No. You take it." Kin says back.

This goes on for quite awhile, with the two refusing to take the bed. This, understandably, starts to annoy the other two in the room, Sasuke and Sakura. "Oh my god! Why don't you two just go and share the bed already?!" Sakura shouts angrily before blushing heavily at what she said.

The twos eyes widen in shock and surprise, a blush creeping onto their faces. "S-Sakura!" Naruto says, flustered by Sakura's suggestion. "Oh calm down dobe. With how close you two been, I doubt sleeping together would be much different. Now come on. We should all rest up for the exams tomorrow." Sasuke says before leaving to a bedroom and shutting the door. Sakura, tired, nods with Sasuke's suggestion and walks to a bedroom of her own. Before going inside, she glares at Naruto. "Don't you try anything." She says, pointing at Naruto before shutting the door.

Naruto and Kin stood there for quite a while before deciding to head to the room. "I... I don't mind you know..." Kin said quietly, a soft blush on her face. "Hm? What do you mean?" Naruto tilted his head in confusion. "I don't mind... Sleeping together..." Kin said, shocking Naruto.

"Are... Are you serious?" He asked he nervously. Kin nods at Naruto before looking away shyly. He gulps nervously before shutting off the light and sitting down onto the bed. "Um... How should we..." Naruto asked, referring to how their on a twin bed.

"W-well... I have an idea... Lay down on your back." Naruto nods and does so. Kin then crawls onto his torso, a blush warm on her face, and lays her head on his chest. _'Strange... I can hear his heartbeat... It's so... Soothing...'_ Kin says in her thoughts as she could already feel herself drifting off to slumber. She starts unconsciously snuggling into his chest.

Naruto couldn't help but blush intensely from the contact. _'Wow... She's pretty soft... Especially her... her...'_ Naruto quickly passed out, in a very similar fashion to a certain Hyuuga. As darkness start to envelope the two, Naruto feels his consciousness being pulled somewhere.

 **xXx**

 **Mindscape:**

Naruto holds his head and groans as he seemingly wakes up in the void once more. _'Huh? Where am... This place again?'_ He wonders as he looks around. "Aw. You're back." Naruto turns around and is shocked to see the old man once more. "A little faster than expected, but hey. You are Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja." The man chuckles. Naruto gives the man a face that just screams, "Are you serious?"

He then realizes something. "Wait, how do you know about that?" Naruto asks. "Also what are you exactly? And what did you do to my eyes?"

"Quite a few questions to do all at once. So lets start with how I know. You see, Naruto Uzamaki, I know almost everything about you." Naruto looks shocked "What? But how?" "Simply because I was there my boy. You see Naruto, I have been here since your birth. I have watched you grow into the boy you are today. Now it may sound a little strange just hearing that, but know that I hold no ill intentions. I merely wanted to know my successor's true nature."

Naruto looked confused at the man. "Successor? What are rambling on about Jiji?"

"Well, I guess an explanation is in order. Might want to get comfortable, because this may take a minute." Naruto nodded before sitting down... in an endless void... Don't over think it. "I guess I should start from the beginning. I'll simplify it to make it easier for you." He chuckles as Naruto glares slightly at him. "You see Naruto, what you call chakra, used to never exist. No one had heard of it, nor did anyone. That was, until a princess by the name Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, discovered it. There was a tree. A tree known as the Shinju Tree. It was forbidden for anyone to eat the fruit it. But, wanting the power to end the wars at the time, she broke this rule and ate it. After eating a fruit of the the Shinju Tree, Kaguya was granted chakra. And not just some. She was given all of the chakra. Giving her more than enough power to stop the wars."

"Wait a minute... Ōtsutsuki... Isn't that-"

"That's right Naruto. Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, was my mother. She gave birth to me and my twin brother, Hamura Ōtsutsuki. Giving birth to us, her chakra was split between the two of us, giving us immense power... And a doujutsu."

"Doujutsu? You mean like the Sharingan?"

"Yes. You see Naruto, having all chakra in existence, my mother had almost every doujutsu in one way or another. And being her sons, me and Hamura were given two of our own. While my brother obtained the Byakugan, I was birthed with what is known as... The Rinnegan. The Rinnegan, is one of the most powerful doujutsu's in the world. It grants the user many abilities, some that disturb the line of life and death. This Naruto... I have passed on to you."

"M... Me?" Hagoromo nods and smiles at Naruto. _'That... That would explain-'_ "What happened before?" Hagoromo interrupts Naruto thoughts, startling him. "H-How... How did..."

"Well, we are inside your mind. You may not have noticed, but your thoughts are echoed through here."

 _'Wait... What?!'_ Naruto actually notices his thoughts being echoed this time.

Hagoromo chuckles once more. "Anyways, back to business. You see Naruto, a long long time ago, I had two sons of my own. Indra, and Asura. Having to choose a successor, I chose the younger of the two, Asura. He grew up to become a great leader. And now... I feel that this world may need one. Naruto, you are so much like Asura. You two have so much in common. Which makes more sense than you would think."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well Naruto, when my two sons died, they souls reincarnated with two other powerful people. These two were known as Hashirama Senju, and Madara Uchiha. These two were the mos powerful shinobi of their time. After they died, Asura and Indra's souls were reincarnated once more. Indra's soul was reincarnated with another Uchiha. But Asura..." He smiles. "His soul was reincarnated in you Naruto." Naruto's eyes widen in surprise at the news.

"I... I'm..."

"That's right Naruto. You are Asura reincarnate. That's why I chose you. Your world is in danger Naruto. There's someone out there planning something. Something that was end all that we know. In times like this, people need a warrior. And Naruto..." He places his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I believe that warrior is to be you."

This was a lot to take in for Naruto. It was almost ten minutes later that he was finally able to make a response. "So... You gave me this... Rinnegan... In order for me to become strong enough to take on this threat?"

Hagoromo nods. "Yes. I believe that you are the one to end this. But, it is all your choice. I will not force you to do anything. It's all up to you Naruto. And remember, there is no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat."

Naruto stood there, contemplating his next choice, as this choice, will affect the rest of his life. Naruto then stands tall with a look of fierce determination on his face. "I'll do it."

Hagoromo looked slightly surprised. "Are you sure? This isn't gonna be an easy task. There will be many hardships to go through."

"I... I know. But, I'll do it. If there's a threat to this village... Then I'll do whatever it takes to stop it. I will do whatever i takes to protect my precious people. And if that mean training so hard that all my bones break, then I'll do it without hesitation. This village and my friends are my home, and I will do whatever it takes to protect them... Even if it costs me my life." Naruto said.

Hagoromo's look of surprise slowly turned into a smile. "You really are just like Asura. Doing whatever it takes to protect the ones you care for. Alright, lets do this. Your training starts..." He raises his hand up. "Now." With a snap of his fingers, the void around them begins to change. Changing from a dark and empty void, into a field. One with trees, grass, even the sky is a nice light blue. They themselves were in the middle of a clearing of the field.

"Whoa..." Naruto was amazed by the display.

"Here, I will help train you in the ways of the Rinnegan. Now don't be fooled, this isn't the best way to train. In fact, training outside will be more effective than doing it in here. But, doing it here will help you get a grasp on what to do. The Rinnegan grants the user many different abilities. I will first teach you how to activate it. Though the Rinnegan is normally a doujutsu that is always active, yours appears to be different. You are actually able to deactivate it. We can assume it might be because of how it was given. But I digress, lets get started." Naruto nods. "Alright, now to activate it. Try sending some chakra into your eyes. Think of it similar to tree climbing."

Naruto nods his head before closing his eyes. He starts slowly gathering up his chakra and then sends it up to his eyes. Naruto could already feel his eyes changing somewhat. Hagoromo smiles as Naruto slowly opens his eyes, revealing the ringed purpleness in Naruto's eyes in place of his normal blue.

"Good. Now, what do you see."

Naruto squints his eyes a bit as he looks at Hagoromo. There appears to be a strange white energy surrounding him. "I see... What looks like some weird energy around you."

"Yes. What you see Naruto... Is chakra." Naruto's eyes widen. "Yes. The Rinnegan gives the user the ability to see chakra. This helps somewhat with another ability of the Rinnegan. But we'll get into that later. Now, I am going to teach you two things today. But first, I'm sure you're curious about your sudden increase in intelligence?" Naruto nods his head. "Well, with the giving of the Rinnegan, I've also enhanced your analyzing capabilities. As you have noticed, you are now capable of reading situations faster and with more ease. I couldn't do too much, as that would have overloaded your brain, resulting in death."

Naruto gulped nervously at the thought. "Anyway... You said you were going to teach me two things?"

Hagoromo nods his head. "You see, one ability of the Rinnegan, is the Six Paths Technique. This technique gives the user many different abilities, though we will be talking about one today. This one is known as... The Preta Path. This path grants the user the ability to absorb and thereby nullifying ninjustsu in any form. This can be used for long ranged defense, and even taijutsu blitzing since the Preta Path allows for chakra absorbtion through physical contact with another person. This is one of the things I plan to teach you while we're in here."

"What's the second thing?" Naruto asks him. Hagoromo smiles before lifting his hand up. Suddenly, a black rod starts protruding out from his palm. "What is that?"

"This Naruto, is a chakra receiver. These can transmit and disrupt chakra and even control people with enough practice. I would like you to start learning how to use these as a weapon. They will be very useful in the future. But first, I must teach how to make them." Naruto nods before creating 50 clones. "Uh Naruto... That's probably not a good-" Before he could finish, all the Naruto's hold their heads in pain. There minds were spiraling as they couldn't see straight. "Dispel them before you overload your mind."

Naruto quickly dispels the clones as he was told. As the clones disappeared, Naruto's sight start to turn back to normal, panting as his mind starts to calm down. "What... Was... That?"

"I was about to tell you. While I agree with your choice of using clones to speed up the training, using so many with the Rinnegan active, isn't such a good idea. You see, with the Rinnegan active, you will see out of the eyes of your clones. Creating so many almost split your mind due to the stimulation." Hagoromo explained. He sighed at Naruto's recklessness, despite his increased intelligence. He just knew that this was gonna take a while.

 **xXx**

 **A few hours later:**

Naruto was lying on the ground. How was he tired inside his own mind, he had no idea. "I gotta say Naruto, I am quite impressed with your growth. You have already managed to learn the basics of the Preta Path and how to create chakra receivers, albeit smaller ones. You even figured out how to disconnect your eyes from your clones. Though remember, you will never master these techniques in here. Using them in the real world is more effective for training." Naruto nods his head as Hagoromo explains. "Good. Now, it would appear as though we are out of time." As he says this, the field around them begins to fade.

"W-What? Why? Am I waking up?" Naruto asked in a panic.

"Yes. But before we part for now, there are some things I must tell you." Hagoromo says as Naruto stands up, paying attention to every word he might say. "Try and keep your Rinnegan a secret. There are many people who would stop at nothing just to get there hands on it. Only tell it to people you can fully trust." Naruto nods in understanding. "Also, try and find someone to remove that seal Orochimaru placed on you. It appears to have messed with your chakra network, causing your chakra control to worsen. It also has cutoff your connection to your... Tenant." Before Naruto could reply, they themselves begin fading into nothingness. "And Naruto..." He looks up towards Hagoromo. "That Kin... She's a keeper." He chuckles before they both fade away.

 **xXx**

 **In the room:**

Naruto's eyes open slowly, finding himself back in his room. Feeling a weight on his chest, he looks down, seeing Kin snuggling into his chest. He slowly smiles before gently putting an arm around her. Before he could fall back to sleep however, the door suddenly opens. "Naruto, it's time to wake..." Sakura says before seeing the two. Naruto starts to get nervous because of their position.

"Huh?" Kin starts to wake up. "What's happening?" She looks up and blushes heavily at her and Naruto's position. All of them are frozen in place as none knows what to do or say.

"Um... Hey Sakura-chan..." Naruto said nervously as he starts to feel a negative energy radiating off of Sakura.

* * *

 **AN: Third chapter out and ready. Though, I can't help but feel like this didn't turn out that well. Especially how I skipped their training. I'm sorry, I'm just not sure how to explain how to use abilities like the Preta Path or using chakra receivers. Although, they will play a part in Naruto's fight. I just need to think how Naruto would try to hide it. Give me any suggestions as to how. If he could. Also, how many of you think Kin should compete in the chunin exams? I'm really trying to decide whether or not she would. Now, to answer some questions.**

 _ **lara5170: They didn't notify Iruka about what happened with Orochimaru?**_

 **Well, no. They didn't in the anime. And I just kinda took that, but edited it to fit more with this version. Besides, they all kinda know already because of Anko's run in with him**

 _ **SPeCTeR-ll7: Will Naruto have access to mangekyo techniques?**_

 **No. I am only giving him whatever abilities the Rinnegan grants a person.**

 **And that's about all. If you have anymore questions, be sure to ask. Later.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"Talking"

 _'Thoughts'_

 **"Jutsu"**

 **Chapter 4**

All the teams who made it past the second exam were lined up. Anko wasn't kidding when she said she'll cut the numbers in half. The only teams that made it were Team 7, Team 8, Team 10, Team Gai, Garra's Team, and Kabuto's had surprised Anko as she expected that more of them would have failed the second exam.

Naruto and his team look around to see that all of the Konoha teams had managed to pass. "Looks like everyone managed to pass." Naruto said, smiling about how intense the battles to come will be.

"Hey Naruto?" Naruto turns to Sakura. "Do you really it was a good idea?" Knowing exactly what she meant, he nods his head. He knows he made the right choice.

 **xXx**

 **Earlier:**

Sakura was currently telling Naruto sorry repeatedly. Looking at Naruto, one would see a huge bump on his head. Signifying that he had another rage-filled Sakura punch. They were still in Naruto's room when Sasuke heard the ruckus and starts walking over to them.

"Sakura-chan. It's alright. You just misunderstood the situation." Naruto said, trying to ease the girl.

She still felt bad regardless. It made her wonder just how many times had she done this. She punches Naruto on a regular basis. So how many of those times were because of misunderstandings or just something stupid?

Sasuke arrives into the room. "What are you guys doing? We have to get going soon to partake in the third exam."

"O-Oh! Right!" Sakura says before rushing to her room to grab her weapon pouch.

Sasuke looks towards Naruto and Kin. "What are we gonna do about her?" He asks, pointing at Kin, who is currently sitting up next to Naruto on his bed.

"Oh um..." Naruto hadn't really thought about it. Because of the rules, she can't compete in the third exam. She probably can't even come with them into the exam room. And she can't go back to where her and her team we're staying in Konoha. With Orochimaru still out there, who knows what he'll do. He doesn't know much about him, but he knows for a fact that Orochimaru can mean nothing but trouble.

"Don't worry. I can just go ba-" "She will stay at my place." Naruto interrupts Kin. Kin and Sasuke look at Naruto strangely. Neither had expected that Naruto would go this far for someone he had just met. Kin had a soft blush on her face. Naruto letting her stay with him? It was just too much. She knew that Orochimaru would most likely kill her, no only for not being able to make it in the third exam, but also having to be helped by the enemy. She would be seen as weak and disposable. Even more so than before. "Naruto... I can't accept this... It's too much."

"Don't worry. I don't mind you staying at my home Kin-chan. Besides, who knows what Orochimaru will do to you once he sees you. It's best that you stay from him for now. Ok?" Naruto says as he looks at her with a look of seriousness.

She blushes more at him. Why was he to do so much for her? Why do this when he could just leave her to her more than probable death? And what is this feeling she is getting inside? She nods to him with a small smile.

"Good. Now, can you walk again?" Naruto asks Kin.

"Yes." She nodded as she slowly stood up from the bed. Kin could feel her face becoming warmer with a blush as she remembers that she had been able to walk on her own since they got to the tower, but just decided not to say so.

"Alright." Naruto reaches into his pocket and pulls out something. Handing it over to her, reveals that they are keys. "Those are the keys to my apartment. Once you get there, make yourself at home." He says with a smile.

Kin felt her heart ping slightly when she sees his smile. _'What... Is happening to me?'_ She wonders as she nods her head.

Sakura walks out of her room and sees Naruto giving Kin the address to his apartment. "What is he doing?" She asks Sasuke. "Dobe is giving her his address. He's letting her stay there for now." Sasuke says plainly before leaving the room. Sakura looks at Naruto, clenching her fist as she gets ready to hit Naruto. Until, she notices a small smile on Kin's face. _'She... She's happy about it?'_ Sakura wonders before she remembers the incident earlier. Her fists slowly loosen as she turns around and walks away.

After then, the group splits up. With Kin leaving the building, on her way to Naruto's home, and Team 7, on their way to the exam room.

"Do you really think that was a good idea? Letting her into your home." Sasuke says as they walk down a hallway.

"No. I don't think it was. I KNOW it was."

"Why do you trust her this much? We only met her the other day, and then she was trying to kill us." Sasuke responded.

"It wasn't her fault Sasuke. She was ordered to do it by Orochimaru. And I'm sure that if she refused, he would have killed her for disobedience. I may not know anything about him, but I can tell that he is the type to get rid of anything he deems as... Useless. Besides..." Naruto trails off slightly as he remembers the Sages words.

 _"That Kin... She's a keeper."_

A soft blush creeps its way onto his face. "... I'm sure she's not gonna try that again."

 **xXx**

 **Present:**

Neither Sasuke or Sakura hadn't really known what made him think that. Neither really knew Naruto aside from him being the deadlast in their Academy. If he was hiding a lot of his strength before the Forest of Death, then what else was he hiding? What else did they not know about their very own teammate?

The Sandaime Hokage looked over all who have arrived. _'To think this many made it. And that almost all are Konoha rookies. No wonder they fought so hard to recommend them.'_ He says in his mind as he looks towards the Jonin sensei's.

"Everyone quiet down!" Anko shouted towards the Genin. "The rules for the third exam will now be explained by the Sandaime Hokage. Listen closely! Now then, if you will, Lord Hokage."

"Yes." The Sandaime Hokage nods his head before walking forward. After clearing his throat, he begins with the explanation. "Before we begin with the explanation of the third exam, there's something I would like to tell you all. Please listen closely, as I feel this is something you all should understand." They looked at him, wondering what was he talking about. "It's about the true purpose of the Chunin exams."

 _'The true purpose?'_ Sakura wondered.

"Why do you think that our country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies?" After a moment of silence, it was clear that none knew how to answer. "To raise the ability level of the Shinobi and increase friendship between allied nations for sure, but it's important that you all know the true meaning of it all. The exams are, so to speak..." He takes a puff out of his pipe before finishing. "They're a representation of the battle between allied nations."

Finding this out shocked a few of them. "What do you mean?" Tenten asked.

"You see, since the beginning, the countries we're allied with were neighboring nations, one that continuously fought one another for power. In order to not destroy one another meaninglessly, those nations chose champions to do battle on behalf of their countries at a mutually selected location. This was how the Chunin Exams originally began." Sarutobi explained.

"Well then, why make us go through these exams then? It's not like we do this to pick Chunin to go fight like that." Naruto asks.

"Well, part of the exams is to pick Shinobi who are worthy of becoming Chunin. It's just not the whole story. These exams also allow a place for Shinobi to carry the pride of their nation on their backs, and battle against other Shinobi for their very lives. Many leaders and people of providence from other Nations, are invited to the Chunin Exams to attend as guests. And even to seek strong Shinobi to work for them. This Exam could determine your ninja work from here on out. And, more importantly, those rulers will watch your battles, and take note on how strong each ninja, and Village are. If there's a large gap in power between Nations, the stronger Nations are flooded with job requests for their ninja, while the requests for Countries that are deemed weak, decline. Therefore, the stronger our Nation is, the better our position is when negotiating with neighboring Countries. So it's important to show how strong our Shinobi are."

"Ok. Then why is it us who have to risk our lives?" Kiba asks.

"The Countries strength is the Villages strength. The Villages strength is the Shinobi's strength. And the true strength of a Shinobi, is only achieved when it's pushed to its limit, like in a life or death battle. This exam is a chance for each Nation to show the strength of its Shinobi, and therefore, the strength of the Nation itself. It's the fact that you're fighting for your life that gives this Exam meaning. And it's for this very reason and for the strength of the Nation, that your forerunners fought in this Exam." Sarutobi replies.

"But then... Why did you use the term friendship before?" Tenten asks.

"You've only remembered half of what I said. You also shouldn't misunderstand this Exams meaning. This is a custom in which peace is brung through fighting and dying. In the life of a Shinobi, that IS friendship. The third Exam is a fight for your life with the pride of your Village and your own dreams at steak."

The room went quiet after that last statement. While some were worried about the outcome, others such as Naruto, Sasuke, and Lee, relish the possibility of a challenge.

"Enough of this." Garra stated. "Just explain the rules to this Exam already. I can handle what you throw at me."

The Sandaime Hokage merely nodded his head. "Alright, now listen up. I am going to explain exactly what you'll be doing in the third Exam." Before he could continue, a Jonin suddenly came before him, surprising the Genin.

"Please Lord Hokage. Before you do, let me, Hayate Gekko, the proctor for the third Exam, speak first." The Jonin, now known as Hayate, asked Sarutobi. Sarutobi replies with a nod of his head. Seeing this, Hayate stood up, his back turned towards the Genin. "It's nice to meet you all. * _Cough_ * * _Cough_ *. There is something I would like all of you, * _Cough_ * * _Cough_ *, to do before the third Exam." The Genin watches as he suddenly goes into a little coughing fit.

 _'Is this guy ok?'_ Naruto wonders as Hayate finishes and fully turns towards the Genin.

Hayate looked back up towards the Genin before continuing. "Well... We need to have a preliminary Exam before we could have the real one." He says, shocking all the Genin.

"What?! A preliminary?" Shikamaru said.

"Um Sensei? Why do we need to do a preliminary instead of just going onto the third Exam?" Sakura asks.

"Well, for the first and second Exam, we may have gone too easy on you. The fact is, none of us expected this many of you to be here right now. We need to reduce the numbers for the third Exam." Hayate replied.

"What? Is that even fair?"

"Look, it's just that we need to speed things up a little. You heard Lord Hokage. Many important people will be attending the third Exam. We can't afford to waste their time. They coming to see only the best. Now, if any of you feel that you're not in top condition, this is your chance to back out. * _Cough_ *. The preliminaries will start immediately."

"What!? Right now?! We don't even get a break?!" Kiba shouted. Others also complained, but were ignored.

"Oh yeah. And the winners will be determined by one on one matches sudden death. So like I said, if you're not feeling up to it, now is the time to back out." Hayate stated.

He was greeted with silence as it seemed that no one was willing to quit when they're this far already. All of a sudden, Sasuke grabs a hold of his shoulder in pain. Seeing this, Sakura urges Sasuke to quit. "Come on Sasuke. You've been like this ever since that match with Orochimaru. It's that mark isn't it?"

 _'Mark? That must be whats been causing his strange behavior.'_ Naruto says in his thoughts as he listens in on their conversation.

The two went back and forth a bit before Sakura stated that she will tell the others about it so that he will be released from the Exams. Before she could fully raise her hand however, Kabuto raises his, stating that he is in no condition to fight. Not long after, he is excused from the Exam room. Naruto could've sworn that he saw a small spec of a smirk on Kabuto's face as he leaves, but dismisses it for now.

Sakura tries once again t raise her hand to tell the proctor about Sasukes condition, only to have her hand brought down by Sasuke. Sasuke tells her that in order to accomplish his goal, he must get stronger, and that fighting strong people in the Chunin Exams is the only to see if he really has gotten any stronger. After this, Sakura stops, realizing that there's nothing she can do to make him think otherwise.

Seeing that no one else is going to quit, Hayate continues. "Alright. We will now begin the preliminary round. This round will consist of one on one individual combat. This is no exercise. With 17 of you, we will have to have 9 matches. One of which, one of you will have to fight once more thanks to the odd number of ninja here. The winners of these matches, will proceed towards the third Exam. There are no rules. You fight until your opponent admits defeat or dies or if they are physically incapable of continuing. Those who are losing are urged to concede the match as to avoid any fatal outcomes. Furthermore, as proctor, I am given a certain amount of leeway when judging the matches. * _Cough_ *. I might occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless, to save as many lives as possible. Now then..." Hayate shares a nod with Anko, who opens up a panel, revealing a black screen. "The names of each pair of opponents will be determined at random. Before each match, these names will be put on the display behind me. With that said, we can get this preliminary started. The first pair will be chosen on the display."

As he finishes, the Genin look up at the screen. The screen then begins flashing through different names. Suspense could be felt throughout the room as the Genin wait for the first pair to be reveal. After one final ding, the pair is revealed. Sasuke smirks as he sees the names.

 **Yoroi Akadō vs Sasuke Uchiha**

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys. Would've posted this chapter sooner, but not only was I slightly busy, but I was a little forgetful. Sorry about that. Anyway, thanks for reading chapter 4. More are on the way. My New Years Resolution is to not only continue this story, but to also make others. I want to get get better at writing. Who knows, maybe I'll actually make one with characters that me and my cousin have been developing. Only time will tell. Anyway, Happy New Years guys!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Edit: Made a small change to Kin's scene. Nothing to try and search for. Changed it to try and make her closer to her character.**

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"Talking"

 _'Thoughts'_

 **"Jutsu"**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Elsewhere:**

Reaching an apartment complex, Kin looks around, trying to find Naruto's apartment. Finding what she assumed was the right door, she unlocks it and hesitantly grabs the doorknob. She stood there for what felt like hours with her hand on the knob.

 _'Calm down Kin. You're only going inside his house as a guest. No biggie. Just open the door.'_ She said in her thoughts before closing her eyes, taking a deep breath, and opening up the door. Opening her eyes, she takes in the room in front of her. She walks inside and closes the door behind her, looking around the apartment. The apartment had seemed fairly messy, with a piece of clothing here or there, some dishes unwashed, etc. Just by looking around, Kin could figure that Naruto's been living on his own for a while.

Strangely enough there didn't appear to be any photos or anything of his parents. She couldn't wrap her head around why Naruto wouldn't. From what she has seen of him, he seems to have quite the caring nature. so him not having any photos seemed... off. But, her mind eventually came to the correct conclusion.

 _'Is... Is he an orphan?'_ She wondered as she stood in his living room. While she herself was orphaned, as her parents were killed during a mission, she at least had photos to remember them by. Looking around, there was no trace of who or what his parents were. Leading her to realize that Naruto may have been orphaned at a young age. Perhaps young enough that no one knows who his parents. It was honestly a sad thought. She at least had memories of what her parents were like. Naruto may not even know his. This must mean that he has been alone for a long. But how... How can someone so lonely... Smile like the sun?

She smiles remembering him smiling at her, her cheeking becoming a tint of pink. After calming down, she decides that Naruto should come home to a clean apartment. It was the least she could do for all he had done for her. She should get started now. Kin reaches down to start picking up some clothes. Before realizing that... _'Is... Is this...'_ She had grabbed his underwear...

Kins face glowed slightly before quickly tossing it to ground once more.

This may take a while.

 **xXx**

 **Chunin Exams:**

Sasukes fight seemed to be a fairly close one. Due to not only Kakashi warning him about using his Sharingan, which would activate his curse mark, but also how his opponent can absorb chakra. This almost put Sasuke in a bind, until he remembered his fight with Lee. The way he moved. The way he fought. All without using Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. It was perfect.

By replicating Lee's movements, Sasuke was able to knockout Yoroi with what he called the "Lions Barrage." After the fight, Kakashi took Sasuke away in order to seal up the curse mark.

Shortly after, the next competitors were chosen. Some were surprised by the outcome.

 **Choji Akimichi vs. Shino Aburame**

The fight seemed to be evenly matched, with Shinos tactfulness and insects, and Choji's brute strength and sudden fit of determination. But alas, the fight ended in Shinos favor. Due to Shinos insects draining Choji's chakra and some timed dodging, Shino managed to tire Choji out, giving him the win.

The next fight was Misumi Tsurugi vs. Kankurō. The winner of which was Kankuro. Misumi was caught off guard by Kankuros swapping of himself and his puppet. By the time Misumi realized this, it was already too late. The fight ending in a matter of minutes.

Next was a startling one for a certain pink haired kunoichi. The was between her and the crown prince of laziness himself, Shikamaru Nara. The fight itself seemed rather one-sided at first, with Sakura constantly being on the offensive and trying to outsmart Shikamaru. But, little did she know, Shikamaru was maneuvering her closer and closer to a wall, him always being three steps ahead of her. Catching her off-guard for a moment, he managed to catch her in his " **Kagemane no Jutsu** (Ninja Art: Shadow Possession Jutsu)". And with that, the fight soon came to an end.

Naruto was disappointed that Sakura had lost, but still thought she put on a great match. If anything, it only made him more determined to win when his match up came. Whenever that would be. Seeing her walk up to him and Kakashi, the latter of whom had come back during a previous match, he congratulated her for giving it her all. Hearing this, Sakura just smiled at the compliment.

The next fight, if you could call it that, was Tenten vs. Temari. The fight itself was the most one-sided match they all ever saw, with Tentens weapons being useless against Temari's fan. It finished with Tenten unconscious, and Temari not even having a scratch on her. Lee had jumped down wanting to avenge Tenten for how Temari treated, before being stopped by Gai.

Everyone quieted down as the screen once again began scrolling through names. Narutos face brightened as he sees the ones chosen.

 **Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka**

"Yeah! Finally! I'm up!" Naruto yelled excitedly.

"Lucky us Akamaru! With this match-up, we're definitely gonna win!" Kiba said.

The two boys made their way down to the arena floor, their eyes full of determination. "The sixth battle, Naruto Uzumaki versus Kiba Inuzuka." Hayate announced.

"It's about time my fight came up. This fight is as good as mine! Believe it!" Naruto exclaimed as he started to get pumped up for their fight. Kiba however, didn't take it too lightly.

"What are you talking about?! I'm the one who's gonna win! Especially with you as my opponent! Isn't that right Akamaru?" He said, receiving a cute bark from Akamaru.

"Don't get excited! I'm gonna wipe the floor with you!" Naruto shouted back in retaliation. Kiba growled as he grabbed Akamaru from his coat and sat him down onto the ground. "Hey! Leave your dog out of our fight! He'll just get in the way!"

"Oh quit your whining! Akamaru is gonna be fighting with me." Kiba said back.

"This even allowed?" Naruto asked Hayate. Hayate saying that animals and insects count as ninja tools, making it allowed. Naruto growled a bit before turning back to Kiba. "Whatever. Guess it's a perfect handicap."

"That's some tough talk. Alright then. Akamaru, leave this to me. I'll take him down myself!" Kiba said confidently.

Sakura cheered for Naruto beat down Kiba, while Kakashi simply stood back and waited for the match to start. Kurenai felt that she knew for a fact that Kiba was gonna win hands down. Hinata on the other hand was in conflict. She wanted to cheer for Naruto, but Kiba was her teammate. Others, like team Gai or 10 , wondered what exactly will happen, being that they saw first-hand how capable Naruto was.

 _'Heh. I may not know how strong he's gotten since he became a Genin, but, if he's similar to what he was in the Academy, then this is gonna be a cake walk.'_ Kiba thought in his mind as he grinned at Naruto. "Tell you what, I'll give you some sympathy and take you out in one blow."

"Hmpf! Still think you can beat me?" Naruto said.

"Quit trying to act tough!" Kiba yelled.

Silence befell the two as they stared each other down. Tension grew as the seconds went through.

"Alright... Begin!" Hayate said, starting the match.

Kiba soon got down on a knee as he put up a handsign. ' **Shikyaku no Jutsu!** (Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu)' Chakra began to seep out from his body as he got down on all fours, his nails elongating, becoming sharp. "Here I come!" He said before rushing at Naruto at extreme speed unseen by the human eye. He then elbows Naruto's chest, sending him flying across the floor, before landing and not getting up. "Heh. It's all over Mr. Proctor. He won't be getting up for awhile." Kiba said triumphantly.

It seemed like this was it, as Naruto looked down for the count. Kurenai took the chance to prove that she was right about the outcome of the match to Kakashi, the latter of whom didn't show any sign of acknowledgement. Team Gai and 10 were appalled. From what they had witnessed in the Forest of Death, Naruto should have put up more of a fight. _'Was it just a mistake?'_ They wondered. Kakashi and Sakura however, merely smiled to one another, as they knew that this was not the end.

And it was proved right when suddenly Naruto jumped back up onto his feet, looking more determined than ever. "Never... Ever... Underestimate me!" Seeing this excited some of them, seeing as the match wasn't over just yet.

"Stop trying to talk tough!" Kiba growled at Naruto. _'I don't understand. With the strength I used, he should have at least been knocked out. Yet, he's acting as if nothing happened. What's going on here?'_ He wondered.

"Now it's time for the real match to start! Go ahead and use your dog! You're gonna need him." Naruto exclaimed.

Kiba narrowed his eyes at Naruto. "You're gonna regret it. Let's do this Akamaru!" Akamaru then gave an agreeing "Ruff!".

The two then began to rush towards Naruto. As this happens, Kiba pulls out two large purple balls from his pouch, surprising Naruto. Throwing them down, a large cloud of smoke engulfs the two, limiting Naruto's vision. Kiba then used this to his advantage, striking Naruto all over as he couldn't see the attacks. Running out of the smoke to avoid Kiba, Naruto is then assaulted by Akamaru, who tackled him back into the smoke cloud.

No one could see what was happening in the smoke. Kiba then jumps out and grins as the smoke slowly begins to die down. Gasps could be heard as Naruto's unconscious body and Akamaru appears from the smoke. "Yeah! we did it!" Kiba exclaimed as Akamaru began to run towards him. Kiba arms stretched out for Akamaru as he got closer. "Good doggie! Huh?" Everyone was surprised when Akamaru suddenly bit Kiba's arm. "A... Akamaru? What are you doing?"

"Gotcha!" Akamaru said before a gulf of smoke covered him. Before Kiba could process what is happening, a hand comes out of the smoke and stabs him in the shoulder with what looks like a black rod. Kiba yelped in pain as he stood back and held his shoulder. He looked up to see Naruto, who strangely has his eye squinted.

"What the..."

Naruto then spat on the ground a bit. "Ugh! You smell like a dog!" he shouted at Kiba.

"W-Where's Akamaru?!" Kiba asked

"He's right here." Kiba hears off to the side, seeing a second Naruto holding his dog, eyes still squinted. The strangest thing is that this Naruto's hands appear to have a blue aura to them. What was he doing?

Many were aghast by Naruto's use of strategy and jutsu. This wasn't the normal Naruto they knew.

Kiba scoffed as he let go of his shoulder, seeing as the rod wasn't going anywhere at the moment. He then reached into his pouch to grab something. "I'd let go of Akamaru if I were you Naruto." He said before flicking what looked like a pill directly into Akamaru's mouth. The dog's fur then began to turn into a bright red before kicking the clone, dispelling it, then rushing back to it's owner

"W-What's this?! What did you feed him? His fur's all red!" Naruto claimed as he opened back up his eyes. Kiba merely grinned as he took a pill himself.

"Let's do this Akamaru!" Kiba then crouched down, making a handsign as Akamaru jumped onto his back. " **Jūjin Bunshin!** (Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: Man Beast Clone)" Suddenly a puff of smoke engulfs Akamaru. Everyone waits in anticipation to see what exactly happens. The smoke dissipates, revealing... No change. Everyone is surprised to see that Akamaru is the exact same as before. This shocks Kiba. "W-What?! Why did nothing happen?!"

A chuckle could be heard coming from Naruto. Kiba looks up to see Naruto with a huge grin on his face. "Because 'I' happened. I knew you would have something up your sleeve. So I planned ahead to make sure you couldn't do it." Kiba was shocked. How could Naruto have prevented his jutsu. "You see, earlier when my clone was holding onto Akamaru, it was draining away his chakra. So no matter what, he was already low on chakra."

"What? But how did... Where did you..." Kiba's mind was spiraling.

"And that's not all. That rod I stabbed into your shoulder, all this time it has been messing with your chakra, limiting your use of jutsu."

Kiba gasped in surprise. Naruto had just played him for a fool. Lowering Akamaru's chakra and disrupting his own has rendered his jutsu unusable. What could he do now? He wasn't given any time to think as Naruto put up his signature handsign.

"Now, how about I show you my ultimate technique?" Naruto said, the biggest of grins on his face.

Kiba gritted his teeth as he glared at Naruto. "I'll show you." He said before rushing towards Naruto, clapping his hands together as he managed to pull out his " **Shikyaku no Jutsu** (Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu)", but requiring more chakra to do so. He then used his increased speed to start knocking Naruto around. He gave Naruto no time to use whatever jutsu he was planning on using. "What now huh?!" He said, delivering a punch to Naruto's cheek. "What happened to all that tough talk?"

Despite all the hits, Naruto always managed to get back up. This continued for a while, enraging Kiba. _'This will finish it.'_ He thought before moving to strike Naruto, planning to finish the fight right there and now. But, before the attack connected, Naruto managed to grab Kiba's wrist, stopping him in his tracks. Naruto smiled before sending a kick directly towards Kiba's side, knocking him away.

While Kiba was down, Naruto resumed his handsign. "This has been a great match Kiba, but it's about time it came to an end!" Naruto said. Then, 5 more clones poofed into existence. They all surrounded Kiba as he got back up, panting slightly due to the kick. "Lets go!" Naruto shouted as all but one of them rush Kiba. One stayed behind and prevented Akamaru from interrupting. While one clone punched Kiba in the face, Naruto himself jumped onto its back and shot himself into the air. The remaining three then used this chance and got close to Kiba. "Na-ru-to!" The exclaimed as they kicked Kiba straight into the air. "Uzumaki Barrage!" Naruto yelled as he slammed his foot into Kiba's face, knocking him in to the ground.

Landing back onto the ground, Naruto breathed slightly heavily as he looked down at Kiba's unconscious body. His clones dispel before Hayate makes his way over to check on Kiba. Akamaru, not being distracted, rushes over to check on his owner. Hayate then stood up. "*Cough* *Cough*. The winner is, Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

 **AN: Guess who's back! Hey guys, happy to be back. But, I do believe an apology is in place for making some of you wait so long for an update. I would say that school got in the way, but it was also forgetfulness. Whenever I got around to starting up this chapter, I would get distracted or something just came up. Now about the chapter itself, I think the fighting could use some work, but I'll try to get it right. Anyway, I'm gonna try to get back into writing these up. I'm honestly surprised with how many people want me to continue. Thank you guys for the support. I mean it. In fact, something some of you should know is that I'm currently trying to start up a new story. Now I won't say what it's about, but I hope you guys like it when it comes up. Anyways, see you guy later!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

"Talking"

 _'Thoughts'_

 **"Jutsu"**

 **Chapter 6**

 **Naruto's Apartment:**

Kin, having finished tidying up the place, was currently sitting down in the kitchen. She had boiled up some of Naruto's ramen cups and began eating, almost chugging it all down. Compared to the food they had to eat at Oto, this was a delicacy. In Oto, they were trained to eat the bare essentials. She could probably go more than a month without eating because of the training.

As she finished, she began wondering what she could do now. She was abandoned by her teammates, had failed Orochimaru's mission, and will probably end up killed, or worse, if she runs into him again. While she has been trained to push out emotions such as fear, even the Jonin of Oto were scared beyond belief of Orochimaru, simply because he knew well over a thousand different torture methods that would make you beg for death. It's because of this why everyone in Oto is so obedient to him, why they wouldn't even think of opposing him. She had even heard rumors that anyone unfortunate enough to simply displease him was simply gone that very next day, never to be heard from again.

Kin tried to calm herself down. Orochimaru has no idea that she was even still alive. For all he knows, she could've been killed by Sasuke and eaten by one of the countless giant animals that were present in the forest. But... What if he did know... Know that she was alive... That she had been saved by the enemy... That she had failed her mission and still lived to tell the tale... What if... What if...

Kin soon found herself beginning to hyperventilate, thinking of the many things Orochimaru would do to her. Her heart raced imagining all the absolute horrific punishments he would give her, making sure that she was completely awake through all the torture. It was almost too much for her. Maybe... She shouldn't give him the chance... Maybe she should just...

Quickly snapping out of it, Kin found herself in a cold sweat. Her breathing was slightly heavy as she slowly calmed herself. But, looking down... Right in her hand... Only a few centimeters from her throat... Was a kunai... A kunai that, having that she didn't stop herself right then and there... Would have pierced right through her throat... Ending her life with a slow bleeding death...

Looking down at her hand, her hand shakily set down the kunai. She knew this won't be the last time this happens. Orochimaru's influence on both her and Oto were simply too strong for that. Maybe next time...

She might actually go through with it...

 **xXx**

 **Chunin Exams:**

"*Cough* *Cough*. The winner is, Naruto Uzumaki." Hayate announced.

 _'Hm. Looks like he took some inspiration from Sasukes fight earlier. Although, he could've changed the name a bit.'_ Kakashi thought.

"Yosh! That was so youthful!" Lee exclaimed in pure excitement.

"Way to go Naruto!" Sakura shout, ecstatic with how Naruto won.

"Not really that surprising, what with what we saw him do in the forest of death. Man, going up against him later in the exams is gonna be so troublesome." Shikamaru groaned at the increasing number of tough competitors.

 _'He... He really won.'_ Hinata thought happily, looking down at the boy of her affections.

Naruto, panting slightly from the fight, smiled at his first victory using his new abilities. _'Wow... These powers are great... But I better be careful next time. Simply squinting my eyes isn't gonna always help hide my Rinnegan. I was lucky that Kiba was too into the fight to put that much thought into it. But that won't always be the case. I need to find a way to use my Rinnegan without straight-up revealing it to my opponents.'_ He thought as he began to walk up the steps to head to his team.

"N... Naruto-kun." Hinata said, just above a whisper. Naruto then stops and turns toward her. He recognizes her from his class back at the academy. Although the two never really talked, he remembers her being essentially the nicest girl that was in his class, albeit very quiet. She was also the only girl in class that wasn't completely crazy for Sasuke. Because of this, he had tried befriending her in the pass, but this usually resulted in her stuttering and either fainting or running away. Due to this, Naruto simply chalked her up to just being plain weird, but was still a step-up from the villagers, considering she actually tried talking to him and somewhat acknowledged his existence. Even going as far as to let him cheat off of her during the written portion of the Chunin Exams.

"Hm? Hinata? What's up?" Naruto asked.

"Ah, ah, I... I um..." Hinata seemed to be twiddling her fingers around a somewhat round object, a light blush on her face. She then slowly walked up to him, before stretching her arms forward, as if to hand him something.

Naruto looked at the object in her hands, confused as to what it could be. "What's this?" He asked.

"That's healing ointment Naruto." Kurenai explained.

"Huh? For me?" Naruto said, curious as to why Hinata would give him something such as this during the exam. _'Man, between this and offering to let me cheat off of her test, you would think she had a crush on me or something.'_ He said in his thoughts. Although, he couldn't help but imagine the possibility. He blushed slightly at the thought. _'Yeah right. She's probably just trying to be nice. No way someone like her would be interested in a guy like me.'_ He thought before smiling and taking the ointment.

"Thanks Hinata. This will really help."He said. Hinata smiled at him, her blush still on her face. This only caused Naruto's face to fluster a bit before looking away a bit. _'Man. First Haku and now this?! Am I just gonna keep running into people I think is cuter than Sakura-Chan?! And why am I only now noticing this?'_ He thought before waving goodbye and heading over to his team.

"Great job Naruto." Sakura says happily as Naruto shows up.

"Yeah. That was pretty impressive out there." Kakashi said. Naruto couldn't help but grin and scratch the back of his head at the praise. "Although, I don't remember teaching you Chakra absorption, not even I can do that. Where'd you learn?" Naruto froze. "Also, those rods you pulled out, I don't remember any weapon shop in the village selling anything like them. Where did you find them?" Unlike Sakura, Kakashi wasn't afraid to ask his students a lot of questions. It was his job to look over their progress and improve. So if one were to exhibit skills and weaponry he didn't expect, it was a small red flag. Either they got it by randomly finding it, or they were keeping secrets from him.

"Well uh... You see..." Naruto tried to find an answer that won't reveal his Rinnegan. While he cared and trusted Sakura and Kakashi, he wasn't sure if he should just tell them about it. He wanted to choose the people he told his secret very carefully. Before he said anything, they all heard the sound of screen shuffling through different names. Naruto sighed in relief at seeing their attention shifting to the screen.

Everyone's eyes widened slightly at the names on the screen, especially Hinata.

 **Hinata Hyūga vs Neji Hyūga**

The fight itself started off at a slow start. Neji said everything he could to break Hinata's spirit and make her want forfeit, telling things like how she had no chance since she was fated to be a loser, that will never accomplish anything. And it was working for the most part. That was until, Naruto decided to speak up. He told Hinata that Neji didn't know what he was talking about and that she was stronger than she's willing to believe. He told Hinata that shouldn't-no... can't give up against someone like Neji. Hearing these words from Naruto, someone she looked up to for inspiration and drive, Hinata regained her resolve and got ready to fight, both competitors activating their Byakugan.

Hinata managed to at least put up a fight against Neji's onslaught of attacks. But alas, Neji was far too skilled in the art of the Hyūga Clans Jūken. Neji didn't hold back, hitting many vital chakra points in Hinata's body. It was almost as if he was deliberately trying to kill her. But, despite even getting striked in the chest, Hinata still got back up to keep fighting, Naruto's words motivating her to keep going. This only angered Neji, seeing that she was trying to defy her fate.

Naruto gripped the bar, watching the fight play out. While he was happy that Hinata didn't back out, he couldn't help but feel bad even time he saw her get hit. He felt that it was his fault that she was as hurt as she is now. She even went as far as to say that her ninja way was the same as his. He gritted his teeth as he watches her weakly try to walk towards Neji.

Then suddenly, Neji raced towards Hinata. Despite Hayate calling the match, Neji wasn't listening. He wanted to end her right then and there. For Naruto, time seemed to slow down as Neji got closer and closer, his arm stretched out to land the finishing blow. The Jonin in the room raced towards him in order to stop him from killing Hinata. That was, until an orange blur seemed to pass right by them and stop Neji in his tracks, one hand glowing blur with chakra grabbing hold of Neji's wrist, and a forearm against his throat.

Hinata's eyes widened slightly at who just saved her life. "N... N-Naruto?" Right there in front of her, the boy who had just encouraged her to keep going had just saved her life. Neji was surprised by the sudden interruption. Had he not be filled with rage at the time, he might have seen Naruto coming.

Naruto's were closed as he held Neji in place. Slowly opening them, Naruto revealed his Rinnegan. Fortunately, due to how close they were, Neji was the only one to actually see. Neji froze seeing it up close and personal. _'How... How did he stop me? Even if he did just simply grab my wrist, my Jūken should have at least hit his arm, forcing him to release me. How did he...'_ He looked down and the glow coming off Naruto's hand. _'I see... By absorbing my chakra through my hand, he managed to nullify and blitz my attack. This one is more dangerous than I thought.'_ Neji thought.

"Good job kid. Glad to see I'm not the only one looking out for unnecessary fatalities." Hayate said from behind Naruto. Naruto then shut off his Rinnegan before releasing Neji. Neji rubbed his wrist because of Naruto's tight grip. Before any more words could be said, Hinata suddenly began coughing before collapsing to the ground.

Hearing this, Naruto suddenly turned around and went for Hinata. "Hinata!" He said as he kneel down to her side, gently laying her down on her back. "Are you alright?!" Kurenai went to her side to check up on her.

Weakly looking at Naruto, Hinata felt her conscious slowly slipping. "N... Naruto... I... I..." She tried to speak, but her eyes slowly started to close.

"Shh. It's gonna be alright Hinata. I'm gonna get you help and fast." Naruto said before slowly picking her up. Kurenai almost objected to this until Naruto stopped her. "Trust me. I may not be quick like Lee, but I'm still faster than even most Chunin in the village." He said, referring to how he always managed to outrun them whenever he pulled a prank. "I'll find her the best doctor and come back before the matches are over." He said.

Looking into his eyes, she could tell he wasn't gonna take no for an answer. She smiled a bit at Naruto, seeing him care for Hinata so much despite barely knowing her. "Go to the back of the building and you should find the emergency room. I'm sure you can get there quickly with your speed.

Naruto smiled before turning toward the exit. Before leaving however, he looks and glares at Neji. "What? That's what happens when you try and defy what fate has planned for you. It's not my fault she couldn't see that." Neji said, undaunted by Naruto's glare.

Hearing this, Naruto gently wiped the blood coming from Hinata's mouth and held it in a fist towards Neji. "I swear Hinata, that no matter what... I will defeat Neji." He said determinedly before quickly leaving the room, racing past the medics that just came in for Hinata.

"Don't worry Hinata. I'll find you a good doctor real fast."

Hinata, hearing this, weakly smiled at him. She subconsciously cuddled into his chest as he ran, basking in his warmth. Her eyes slowly began to close as she started to succumb to unconsciousness. She didn't know if she will make it, but she is satisfied with her last sensation being Naruto's caring touch. And with that, she promptly drifted to unconsciousness.

* * *

 **AN: Hey guys. Sorry about the long wait. There was school, family, along with my laziness. But it's good to be back. And despite me thinking it could be better, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter. Now, I should be getting to the next one. Hopefully this one won't take so long. Later guys.**


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